CITY of York Council has apologised to and compensated people in Poppleton whose lives were turned upside down by roadworks last year.

Night working forced many people living near the A59/ A1237 ring road roundabout to endure sleepless nights and weeks of disruption, as contractors battled to finish work in time for the Tour de France.

Now the Local Government Ombudsman has ruled that York council caused injustice to people living near the site, by not consulting or warning them before the diggers started working through the night.

Steph Baron was one of two nearby residents to take her case to the ombudsman out of frustration at the council's response to her complaints, and they have each been awarded £100.

She said: "The council kept kind-of apologising, but saying the work had to go on.

"I am delighted with this outcome. I've had an apology which is what I wanted."

Mrs Baron added: "I still feel upset about the impact it had on our lives.

"The sleep deprivation was awful. We are quite a laid back family and healthy, but we were just living on the edge all the time."

Mrs Baron said she and her neighbours often had no warning that night working was about to start, and although the city council offered several hotel accommodation it was impractical for people with families, pets, and businesses at their homes.

York Outer MP Julian Sturdy has also welcomed the ruling as a long overdue "victory for common sense", and said he wanted to see the apologies and payments extended to more people who had been affected.

He said: "I have written again to the transport chiefs at the council asking them to extend the apology and compensation to all affected residents, not just those who have taken the issue to the ombudsman. This would save other constituents the time and effort of wrangling with a bureaucratic complaints process as well as improving the authority’s reputation in the local area.”

The ombudsman's ruling means the authority will have to consult residents more in future, and monitor noise levels around road works.

Tony Clarke, head of transport at City of York Council, said: “The council fully cooperated with the ombudsman throughout its investigation and in recognition of its findings has apologised to both individuals affected for any inconvenience they experienced as a direct result of the works.”